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Colin Turkington
|birth = 21/03/1982 |debut = 2002 |champs = 1 (2009) |wins = N/A |teams = Team Atomic Kitten Team WSR |no = 5 |currentteam = Team BMR|currentcar = Subaru Levorg}} Colin Turkington is a driver in the British Touring Car Championship and a former champion, having won the 2009 title for West Surrey Racing. Born on the 21st of March 1982 in Northern Ireland, Turkington is well versed in touring cars, having driven in the World Touring Car Championship and the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship.http://www.btcc.net/driver/colin-turkington/ Current Season Colin is now back as a major part of the BTCC after returning in 2013 and winning the championship in 2014. He currently races with Team BMR in an NGTC spec Subaru Levorg. His first win came at Croft when he won 2 out of his three races on that weekend. Background Turkington's early career was spent in his native Northern Ireland, competing mainly in karting and Autograss from 1993.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Turkington In 1998, Turkington entered the Northern Irish Metro Championship, taking the title the very same year. The following year, Turkington began competing in mainland Britain, driving for three years in the Ford Fiesta Zetec Championship before taking the Fiesta title in 2001. BTCC History Turkington's BTCC career began with Team Atomic Kitten in 2002, partnering fellow Fiesta graduate Gareth Howell. Turkington took his year-old MG ZS to 6th in the Independent drivers championship and 14th overall. His success with an old MG ZS prompted MG backed WSR (West Surrey Racing) to sign him for the 2003 season. The move appeared to have been to both parties benefit, with Turkington taking his first win at the first race of the season at Brands Hatch. However, MG pulled out their support at the end of the season, after Turkington finished eighth in the championship. Nonetheless, he remained with WSR for a further season, taking another win at Mondello Park. Turkington signed for VX Racing in time for the 2005 season. After a lowly 6th place finish in the drivers standings, VX Racing dropped Turkington, prompting him to rejoin WSR. At WSR he was reunited with an MG ZS and took two wins in 2006, finishing third in the championship. WSR and BMW (2006-2014) For 2007, WSR were forced to change their car, with the MG ZS no longer conforming to regulations. The team opted to switch to BMW 320sis, a move which was to Turkington's benefit. Turkington took the 2007 Independent title for WSR, as well as clinching BMW's first win in the championship for over a decade. Turkington also drove for WSR at two meetings of the WTCC in 2007, finishing third at Brands Hatch. 2008 saw Turkington parterned with rookie Stephen Jelly. Four wins was enough for Turkington to retain his Independent title, as well as climb to fourth in the overall championship. Of further note is the fact that Turkington finished every race of 2008, an achievement matched by few since the BTCC has had a 30 race calender. It would be 2009, however, that Turkington will be remembered for. Having led the season since the halfway stage, Turkington clinched the title in the final race of the season, following a run of eighteen consecutive finishes in the points. With his place in BTCC history sealed, Turkington left the series to compete in the WTCC (after failing to fund another season in the BTCC). Return Turkington, however, returned to the BTCC, continuing with WSR, now competing under their sponsor eBay Motors. A slow start to the season was the result of Turkington's unfamiliarity with the team's new BMW 125is, although as his confidence in the machine grew, his results also improved. He won the sixth race of the season at Donington Park, with a further four wins seeing Turkington take fifth in the final standings. Team BMR (2015-Present) In 2015 Colin joined Team BMR (Formerly Team BMR Restart Racing) and raced in a Volkswagen Passat CC. He scored major wins over the 2015 season, and helped develop data for advancing the car. In 2016, BMR switched to Subaru and went with the Levorg for the season. Colin scored the first win for the Levorg when he won 2 out of his three races at Croft Circuit. = BTCC Record Below is a table of Turkington's finishes in the BTCC. The number after the information regarding the car indicates Turkington's best finish at that meeting. References Image Origins: *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Colin_Turkington_2011_2.jpg - Turkington Category:Drivers Category:Champions Category:Current Drivers